A nanoimprint technology has been developed to form fine patterns in a semiconductor device or the like. In the nanoimprint technology, an original plate (a master template) is pressed against a transfer target object, thereby transferring patterns of the original plate onto the transfer target object at the real scale. Therefore, with downscaling of the semiconductor device, the patterns of the original plate are also downscaled. Defects in the patterns of the original plate downscaled in this way are difficult to be detected even with short-wavelength light such as DUV (Deep UV). An inspection using an electron beam takes a longer time than an optical inspection.
To detect defects in fine patterns of an original plate, a method using an expansion resin material is therefore examined. In this method, an expansion resin material is pressed against an original plate, thereby transferring patterns of the original plate onto the expansion resin material. The expansion resin material is then expanded or stretched to enlarge the patterns transferred onto the expansion resin material. Defects in the patterns of the original plate can be detected by performing an optical inspection onto the patterns enlarged in this way.
However, when the expansion resin material is expanded or stretched, new defects may occur in the patterns transferred onto the expansion resin material. If there are many novel defects not having been included in the original plate but having newly occurred in the expansion resin material, detection of the defects in the patterns of the original plate becomes difficult.